by Nnamdi Nwaogwugwu M.D.
Physiatric Pain & Medical Rehabilitation Clinic
Americans are consistently bombarded with daily advertising that claims their skincare, bath, spa products will take years off your appearance, by removing wrinkles, tone your skin, remove your warts, freckles, cellulite, while creating a new, dynamic engaging and youthful persona.
There is a growing interest in the medical community(anti-ageing) that caters to our need to live longer, look better, have better sex lives, all the while insisting that the road that leads to happiness and a fulfilled life is through their quality, ground -breaking, cutting- edge services.They convince the masses to try Botox, vitamin B6 and B12, human growth hormone injections all in an attempt to limit the ageing process and prevent skin wrinkling, sagging biceps or buttocks in order to develop increased strength, vigor, passion and unlimited energy.
Dr Nwaogwugwu, is a board certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) specialist who is also a Northwestern and Mayo Clinic alumnus is uniquely qualified to evaluate all musculoskeletal injuries which may arise and develop a patient specific, detailed treatment plan to limit pain, and disability and improve his patients quality of life.
 Is there a fountain of youth that can be found at an inexpensive price? What really happens to our body when we turn 40, 50, 60, and -80+ years of life? As we age, our skin will receive less blood flow, become less elastic and be prone to wrinkling.
As we age our metabolism slows and our bodies lose muscle and gain fat-15% fat at age 30-to 30% fat at age 80, which is made worse if we live an inactive, couch potato type of lifestyle that doesn’t incorporate any physical activity to our daily lives.
Our bones also begin to weaken; the peak bone mineral density begins to drop after mid 30’s. This places particularly Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic women at risk of falling and developing a hip, knee, wrist or spinal fracture if they aren’t taking Calcium and Vitamin D supplements.
 As we age and see a decrease in lean body mass, muscle strength, and body water, the same physiologic responses are seen with living a life full of inactivity. So individuals that lead inactive lives age at a faster rate than the rest of us. The inactive person set’s them-selves up for developing medical conditions that they should not have to deal with so relatively early in life, such as developing blood clots, high cholesterol, obesity, loss of muscle mass and dry, flaky loose and flabby skin that wrinkles.
 This brings us back to the question, is there an inexpensive way to achieve the fountain of youth? The truthful but unpopular answer is yes, there is. The answer lies in ones dedication and commitment to developing a habit of exercising frequently (3x a week for about 35-40 minutes at a time).
What are the benefits of regular, daily exercise?
1)Exercise adds quality, healthy years to your life
2)Promotes cardio respiratory fitness which leads to less heart attacks, lung disease, decrease plaque buildup in your blood vessels
3)Reduces your cholesterol level and lowers your blood pressure
4)Sweating from exercise cleans your pores and tightens your skin tone and complexion
5)Improves your metabolism which limits constipation and aids digestion
6)Exercise promotes weight loss and increase in lean muscle mass
7)Exercise increases muscle size and strength and balance
8)Weight bearing exercises increases bone mineral density.
The answer to finding your fountain of youth rests in your finding a vehicle to encourage, and motivate yourself to get up, get active and fit ,and begin to lead an energy filled life that will cause you not to require Botox, B12 and human growth hormone injections. So save your money, and remember that the body’s natural aging process is similar in many ways to leading an inactive life style. Therefore if you don’t want to age as quickly, exercise and improve your health and quality of life the right way.
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Nnamdi Nwaogwugwu M.D.
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